


Black Pearl

by 2009TheYearOfUs



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Mermaids, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-01 09:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4015342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2009TheYearOfUs/pseuds/2009TheYearOfUs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuri leads a pirate’s life from birth, her father being a captain of one of the biggest ships sailing the seven seas. Taemin was born as a prince of the sea, the youngest of four brothers, and last in line to the throne. The mermaids live in fear of the pirate’s who hunt them down, but is there the possibility for these boundaries to be abolished? (Discontinued-)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Do mermaids even exist in this realm? My father speaks of hunting them down constantly, but never in my life have I come to encounter one. If they do so exist, they must be very elusive creatures. For all we know, they could be living right under our noses, just watching us from a distance. They must think us pirates are so naive, just looking for the next biggest bounty all day long as we navigate the seven seas endlessly._

_Has my father ever thought that I might want something other than this life? I was dragged into being a pirate because my father is a captain. I’m not complaining about life at sea, because I love the respect I get from the crew for being the captain’s daughter, and I also love the feeling of the wind blowing freely past me, whipping my hair up into a tangled storm. Just sometimes I wonder what life would be like to live as a merchant on the mainland, or better yet, to experience the ocean as a mermaid. I’m only 20 years old, but it seems like my whole life has been planned out for me already, against my own will._

Yuri let out a deep sigh as she handled the wheel on the quarter deck at the stern of the ship, and steered starboard, after being left with the importance of handling the ship whilst her father was snoring his brains off in the captain’s cabin directly below her feet. Mornings like these were particularly peaceful as the rest of the crew slumbered in the hammocks of the hull, leaving the decks completely empty of any life forms. It was a rarity that the decks were ever this quiet, usually packed with spider monkeys doing their duties and others climbing the masts and setting the sails to different positions to catch the wind.

And then there was the pirate’s flag flying black and white with the signature skull and crossbones way up high above Yuri’s head. Being the only women amongst a crew full of hormonal men definitely wasn’t fun. So when the stocks needed replenishing, your father would let the crew go and find a bunch of whores in the local hovel to do their thing. Yuri could blame her mother for the natural beauty she was born with. Her father had always claimed how she was the spitting image of her mother, with dark brown locks and stormy green eyes to accompany her pale complexion. Despite being in contact with the sun most of the day, Yuri was inept to tanning. It gave her this look of purity which made her all the more desirable, but she had soon become tired with all the advances made towards her.

Today was one of those days, making a trip to the nearest shore to pick up new supplies and barter with the stall holders for a better price. Trades would be made for more treasures to add to the massive pile kept locked up safely in deep storage of the ship. No man ever dared wander off deck in search, in fear of getting lost in the dark passageways, or furthermore being caught and then sent to walk to plank into shark-infested waters as sentenced to death punishment.

“Land ho!” Yuri cried as she could make out a speck of land in the far distance. Within a matter of minutes, all hands were on deck as the captain boomed his orders. This was the part Yuri liked most; the adventure, the adrenaline of swinging from the ropes and holding on for dear life with her arms tightly wrapped in coils and her slim, stringy legs stuck firmly together as she catapulted herself into the air, the weight of her body and gravity pulling her down as she raised the final sails to hurtle the ship straight towards the mainland.

As the land fast approached, Yuri’s father wobbled over to her station with his massive beer belly and stretched out his palm to reveal five golden doubloons.  
“This should be enough for you to find yourself something to do whilst we’re at sea for the next month, after we depart from the mainland. Spend it wisely, and be back here by dawn tomorrow. Go and have some fun whilst you have the chance, before you’re stuck on the seas again.”

“Thank you,” Yuri gave a curt nod to her father and claimed the doubloons right out of his hand, stuffing them into her measly pocket pouch which hung from a loose piece of string that wrapped around the loop of her belt.

The majority of the crew assembled at the hull as a couple of pirates swung down to the ground on ropes and heavily tied them up as the ship docked onto the soft, golden sands of Pirate Bay. Yuri took that as her chance, once the ship had come to a full stop, to climb down on a small ladder that had been thrown over the side, and hopped down the final few meters to feel the water splash around her ankles, then run to the dry sand and pull on her leather boots up to her mid calf while taking in the colourful marketplace that lay before her. Yuri rolled down her thin brown pants and tucked them inside her lace-ups before further rolling up the sleeves of her white blouse and marching down the nearest path she could find to start her own adventure.

 

Hiding behind a large mound of rocks further along the main beach of Pirate Bay, Taemin squinted his eyes from the long distance between himself and the beings on the mainland as he snuck a quick look at the ship that had just docked. He and his four older brothers had snuck away from the underwater palace and their duties as princes of the seas to observe the humans, and for him in particular, the beautiful girl that had captivated his heart. Unfortunately, she happened to be a pirate. 

On one fateful night, young Taemin had been a little too curious. He had dared approach a drifting pirate ship, and that was when he saw the sleeping girl, shivering in her sleep near the edge of the ship through a small opening. He didn’t think much of it at the time, but he foolishly splashed her with a burst of water in an attempt to ‘warm her up’, resulting in said girl being startled for her life and running into the cabin to the safety of her hammock.

Almost a year later, Taemin finally found out her name. The girl was being stubborn, and had climbed up and hidden in the crow’s nest to avoid mopping the decks. The captain yelled her name repeatedly for such a long time, that Taemin couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw Yuri’s head peep out to check the coast was clear every once in a while. Of course she had to clean up eventually, and Taemin had the privilege of listening to the girl’s sweet harmonies as she sang to her own songs in a search to lighten the mood under the starry night sky. He had really fallen head over heels for her.

“Taemin,” the eldest began to speak and snapped him from his trance, pulling lightly on his shoulder in an attempt to shift him from his spot, “we should go before father finds out we came to the surface. You know how displeased he would be.” 

“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up to you in a minute,” Taemin flailed a hand frantically around behind him and he knew he was being somewhat difficult now, but he hadn’t been able to see you in such a long time. Minho just smirked at his brother’s response and the cute little crush he had on Yuri.

Giving in, Onew and the other three mermen swished their slick tails and disappeared into the murky depths of the ocean.

Taemin was being a little too ambitious now, manoeuvring himself through the shallow waters, through the gritty coral and slimy green seaweed to admire Yuri just a little longer as she was just about to run from sight and further inland. He insistently drifted dangerously close towards the fishing nets near the docks as he swam even closer to Yuri, the fins of his tail just inches from the thick webs.


	2. 01 - Then There Was Me And You

He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. And for one, a creature as beautiful as that should not have been caught in the mass of fishing nets that were being sorted through for fresh fish to sell at the markets this morning. I couldn’t thank my father enough for docking when we did, but I can never tell him of my amazing experience. So I cautiously recount my tale on these pages, and cherish my memory.

Perhaps it was more ideal that the fisherman had dragged the nets just up to the shoreline. The poor thing might have suffocated amongst the flapping fish that were eager to get away, using every last ounce of energy they had left to edge towards the water and breathe safely. It would have been a tragedy had something have happened before I discovered him as I was wandering along.

In all honesty, I was too stunned to begin with that I had actually witnessed a live mermaid for the first time in my life to act straight away. I was always told and bought up to believe that any pirate should kill a mermaid the instant they saw one, but I found I could not bring myself to do such a cruel deed without any real motive to murder such a brilliant being. His beauty was dazzling.

His sleek, long tail was a vibrant violet colour that glistened under the sun, with his slightly longer locks matching this, tinted a pastel purple. He had milky pale skin, and the features of his face were chiselled well. He was very handsome.

I could have admired him all day, for in that moment, I was in love with this unworldly man.

And then when he had finally stopped struggling in the tangle of webs and had noticed my presence, we made eye contact for the first time. It was at that point, the innocence and warmth behind his gorgeous brown eyes told me instantly that he was no threat. And for what seemed like an eternity, we held our gaze. I didn’t want to make any sudden movements to scare him. I half expected him to try and flee, but he just stayed as still as a feather. It was like he somehow knew me already. He somehow knew that I would not have hurt him in any way, and that he put his trust in me.

But in this moment, the rest of the world was no longer important, but helping to free this merman was my priority.

 

Yuri scribbled furiously into her newly purchased leather journal, occasionally dunking her quill into the bottle of ink that rested at the side of her makeshift wooden desk, before returning to make blotched marks across the parched sheets bound together.

She desperately wanted to remember every last detail before her memory would betray her.

 

I began to walk up to him very slowly as I unhooked my dagger from around my belt, and carefully began to cut away at the material. As I focused on the task at hand, I could feel his stare bore through my skull, his eyes never once leaving my concentrated face.

I was halted in my tracks as my ears perked up to the familiar sound of my father’s hearty laugh as he shook hands with another tradesman just some ways along the shore. The panic of being caught was obviously evident in my eyes as I began to carve at the ropes even faster, only to be stopped as the merman deviously pulled me to his chest and embraced me tightly.

I could only stay there and listen to the pounding of his heart hammering away at his ribcage as I waited patiently for my father to pass by, praying he wouldn’t notice his daughter in a compromising position with none other than a mermaid. If he had found us, I have no idea how he would react. In the most negative way, that was a given.

His gentle touch had soon become intoxicating and I found myself feeling almost somewhat disappointed as he released his grasp on me. Then I remember peeping up into those twinkling eyes of his, and it was almost as if he could read my mind.

“Taemin. My name is Taemin.” He seemed to study me closely.

I was awestruck as the man I laid upon spoke his first words to me. We could communicate, and the thought of that alone was quite an exciting prospect to me.  
“Thank you, fair maiden. For rescuing me, I won’t ever forget this.” He leant in and gave me a light peck on my right cheek before sending me a breathtaking smile, and then just like that, he was gone.

I wanted to see him again, but I doubted that fate would let our paths cross again.

 

Yuri let out a ragged sigh from frustration as she wrote those final lines in her journal entry. The warm fuzzy feeling from her stomach had returned, and a deep blush spread across her cheeks as she couldn’t help but remember his plump lips against her skin as she instinctively reached up to touch the spot. She shook herself to get a grip, forcing herself to focus again.

Yuri tried her hardest to sketch the man onto the adjacent pages from her notes, intricately trying to capture the fine details of his perfectly shaped face, down to the ever-so tiny scales that made up his tail and silky flippers. Yuri was well equipped; tasked with drawing out several maps for her father from her very first days at sea.  
Now satisfied with the representation of the man who called himself Taemin, Yuri wandered over to the port hole to stare out onto the calm waters glistening under the half crescent moon that night. Off into the distance, she could make out the silhouette of the mainland drifting further into the distance as the ship was pulled along by the calmer winds.

Scurrying over to the locked door which sealed her away from the rest of the world, Yuri turned the latch and pulled the door slightly ajar, peering round the corner to check the coast was clear. It wasn’t like she would get into trouble for going out late at night, but she didn’t want to get caught out by one of the drunk crew men who would try to dirty talk her and seduce her into bed.

After looking left and right to assure herself that the coast was clear, Yuri stepped out from her cabin and shuffled as quietly as possible past the captain’s quarters next to her cabin and further to the stairway leading to the other crew’s hammocks, noting to herself that they were long passed out from the strong stench of alcohol and muffled snoring.

The stars were shining particular bright that night as Yuri clambered up the remaining creaky old wooden stairs, her eyes drawn quickly toward the glowing white moon. Removing her eyes to skim across the waters surrounding her, a number of smaller ships seemed to scintillate under the dark sky and illuminate the four corners of the earth.

Yuri made way to her own space, which she always occupied when she needed some space and time to herself. It was her own sorts of getaway, a place of calmness and serenity to just listen to the quiet of the night and the tranquil waters sloshing against the side of the ship.

Plonking herself down in her little corner, she let out a deep breath she hadn’t even noticed she was keeping in. Her head now resting against the ship and lulled to the side for her tired eyes to cast across the ocean again as she helplessly resisted against the darkness and being pulled under into a deep slumber. 

She slapped herself silly to wake herself and sat upright, Yuri opening her eyes wide to rid of the tiredness and train herself like a dog as she pulled the prized journal from beneath her jacket. There was a slight chill in the air, causing Yuri to pull the material tighter to her skin for added warmth as she cupped her hands and blew her warm breath onto them.

Yuri then turned to the first page of her journal and began to read back over her writing. In her head, she formed one of her own melodies and began to spew in her pure singing voice:

Beautiful stranger, I’ve fallen into your big eyes,

To the mysterious feeling, the language, I open my heart,

Beautiful stranger, people say that you’re dangerous,

They don’t try to see the you that I see no,

 

The stories in the deep silences,

You came from a different image, a different world,

When you look at me as you extend your long hands,

Take me to the place where you are~

 

After today’s encounter, Taemin’s love for the girl named Yuri grew even more than before. As he broke through the barrier between the two worlds, the top of his head bobbed along the surface of the water like a buoy as he admired Yuri from afar. The rare chance that he would escape from his duties was extended after his close call with death knocking at his door, only to be rescued than none other than his first love.

His ears soon tuned in to the melodic voice which he could easily define as Yuri’s, as he swam closer toward the ship with a newfound confidence that Yuri would not turn on him if they were to see each other again. As he contemplated singing along himself to catch her undivided attention, his eldest brother appeared beside him to pull him some ways in the opposite direction that Taemin was travelling.

“Ya, let go of me!” Taemin struggled under the tight grip of his brother, wriggling to break free.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Onew calmly scolded the younger.

“I-“

“Father noticed your absence from the palace.”

“I can just make up an excuse. Like, I went to help one of the city people.”

“He’s furious. One of the guards was sent out to look for you, only to find you with that human girl you like. Not to mention, she’s a pirate.”  
“So what’s wr-“

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you Taemin. We’re all trying our best to calm him down but he wants to speak with you when you return. The sooner you return home, the better.” Onew dived back underwater as Taemin watched the shadow of his figure disappear into the depths.

He let out a long sigh before turning back to the ship to watch Yuri pick herself off the floor and walk towards the very edge of the ship, flinging her own open wide as if she were about to jump into the water head first, before screaming at the top of her lungs like it was nobody’s business.

Taemin could only watch on as Yuri fled inside the ship and to her cabin as the first few droplets of crystalline water fell from the skies, atop her head and across her pretty face. She had her journal held tightly against her chest through fear of her treasured adventure becoming and thing of the past, smeared and unreadable.

The flurry of clouds circling far overhead clearly depicted a storm fast approaching. Taemin didn’t even flinch when he saw the lightning strike in the distance that ripped the sky in two. Taemin knew straight away that it meant only one thing when he returned to the underwater palace that night- Neptune’s rage.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Ok so the Prologue of a new fic I started ^^ I thought of this idea after watching the teaser for SHINee’s comeback ‘View’ which I absolutely love and if it wasn’t that I was saving my money for EXOluXion coming to Europe, then I would obviously buy the album. I decided to name the female protagonist as Yuri. Why? Because SNSD’s Yuri’s nickname is ‘Black Pearl’, and I felt like that fitted really nicely with this story theme. Now you might understand why the title is also Black Pearl keke and for those Sone’s out there, you guessed correctly~ Please excuse any mistakes, and I’m always suckish when it comes to sticking to one tense;;


End file.
